In 2017, parents need to teach their children how to responsibly use the internet. Problematically, many parents don’t even have the skills they need to be teaching their children! If you find yourself struggling to teach your child how to responsibly use social media, online gaming, or the internet in general, Ottawa Youth Counselling can help....
The adolescent mind is a chaotic one. Not only is the brain going through a critical period of growth and transformation, but during this period is forced to learn new forms of thinking; and how to cope with new types of feelings. As adults, we have passed through the gauntlet of adolescence. Our brains have developed, and often...
Many kids who struggle at school do so not because they are incapable of success, but because they have learned to believe that they are. This is a psychological phenomena known as Learned Helplessness; a sense of powerlessness that we often develop at a young age as a result of traumatic events, or persistently failing to succeed at a particular tasks. ...
So we’ve gone over the neurological, psychological, and social changes that characterize adolescence in Part 1 of this 2 part article, so now it’s time to approach the question: ‘What do I do about it?’ A step-by-step guide isn’t appropriate, as each family relationship is going to vary greatly, and require a tailored approach. That...
Parents with young teens understand better than anyone that adolescence is a period of substantial change for their children, but also their relationship with them. Our kids take their first steps into forging their own identities, deciding for themselves what they want out of life. Often, their decisions are bad ones. As parents, we want...
All throughout the news in Ottawa, parents are made aware of the rising presence and danger of Fentanyl in the illicit drugs regularly taken by teens and youth. Continually reminded of the problem our city is facing and the consequent threat to their children’s safety, parents seek to understand the issue and the actions they can...
Finding and working a part-time job, for many, is a simple rite of passage through the teenage years. With no experience or demonstrated workplace skills, teens are required to seek and find jobs at the bottom of the ladder wherever they manage to get hired. The nature of these jobs is often extremely demanding, providing little...
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a term that is used to describe children who engage in a consistent pattern of angry, argumentative, defiant behavior for a period greater than six months. Every child has his or her moments of defiance and opposition, a simple rite of passage for all youth, and something that all parents expect to...
It is a simple fact that human beings seek dopamine release. The ‘pleasure chemical’ in our brains, dopamine is associated with joy, euphoria, excitement; and is the cornerstone of every addiction. Drugs, alcohol, and gambling are restricted to adults because youth are known to not have the required coping mechanisms to approach those things responsibly. The...
There is very little knowledge, and far too much opinion, about ADHD in the western world. Stigma follows the diagnosis, and the proliferation of half or non-truths about its nature runs rampant. Most parents approach their child’s ADHD similar to a life sentence, and act as though accepting diagnosis means accepting that their children will never be...
